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VectorLeave a comment on Introducing a Minecraft Theme for SMF 2.1 (Upgrade)Website

Introducing a Minecraft Theme for SMF 2.1 (Upgrade)

Since last year I have been working on an upgrade to an existing theme for the SMF (Simple Machines Forum) forum software. This theme was originally authored by someone else but they have given me permission to update it. You can see the original theme listing here.

This theme was used for the Innectis Minecraft community forum starting all the way back in 2011. The original theme was never upgraded past SMF 2.0. Since I wanted to use it for SMF 2.1+ as well as at least one friend, I decided that I would take the opportunity to upgrade it. I reached out to the original author and was given permission to do so.

Click here to go to the theme.

VectorLeave a comment on Introducing the Counting Game CalculatorWebsite

Introducing the Counting Game Calculator

There is a game where the objective is to count, starting from the number 1 and counting up from there. It sounds like a really simple game but it can end up being quite competitive. I have been part of a community that has such a game. I was even inspired to create a channel on my discord server for this game.

The Counting Game Calculator is a tool that is designed to calculate what it would take to get from the current number to a target number by a certain date. A timezone is used as well since the result will be different depending on the timezone. I was inspired to make this tool because of an individual in a different community who, on more than one occasion, would do manual calculations for the same thing. I wanted to create a tool that could do this automatically.

You can access it from the project page here or access it directly here.

VectorLeave a comment on Minecraft and Pack.pngMinecraft

Minecraft and Pack.png

Every now and then something grabs my attention, so much so that I want to talk about it. One of my favorite games to play, Minecraft, is filled with things that I find fascinating. One of these sthings in particular has to do with a file in the game, Pack.png. This file is a grainy 128×128 color image depicting a mountain with a waterfall. It is a screenshot taken in one of the later Alpha versions of the game (around 2010). This is what the image looks like:

Through various techniques, including using technology that borrows CPU/GPU time from a network of machines in order to accomplish tasks, the original world seed was discovered that generates the world in which the image was taken in. The following video from SalC1, a Minecraft YouTuber, explains the project.

VectorLeave a comment on Inspirational VideosLife

Inspirational Videos

In today’s world there are many examples of division and chaos. One only needs to look at a news site like CNN, Fox News, BBC, MSNBC, The Daily Wire, Breitbart, or whatever news site you frequent. You can find conflict so easily these days, saturating our minds and informing us of how bad the world is. We can never get enough of conflict. But what we need more of, and it is in rather short supply, more unity. We need to have more stories that connect us rather than divide us.

One thing in life I want to do is find examples of such unity. There are actually plenty of examples and they can come from the unlikeliest of sources. I believe that even in the worst of people, there are things about them that can unite with the best of people. It is said that respect is earned, but is that really true? What if we all need respect, even the ones we feel don’t deserve it?

I have a YouTube playlist that I have been adding to for awhile now. Some of the videos might speak to you, or they might not. Either way, I hope that you gain something from watching them. We need to do better as Americans, and as inhabitants of this world. I hope that this playlist can at least attempt to show a side of humanity that is worth pursuing.

You can find the playlist here.

VectorLeave a comment on What if Jesus had never been born?Religion

What if Jesus had never been born?

I’m not a theologian or a scholar. At most I’m a layman Seventh-Day Adventist who very much cares about their faith. I care about how my faith has helped to craft who I am. I do not want merely to do as I wish but as Jesus would want me to do. That can be a challenge but I want my actions to be morally justified as much as I can help. I find that to be a challenge in a world where everything is seen subjectively.

Right and wrong are nothing more than opinions, or are they? What if a certain religion had it right and could serve as an example for other religions? I’m not here to provide definitive proof. However, I would like to share a lecture that I felt was profound enough that I wouldn’t want to wait idly by without the opportunity to mention it.

In February 2020, Jon Paulien, a theologian and professor of the School of Religion at Loma Linda University, gave a lecture on the influence of Christianity on the world. The lecture is provided by the Center for Understanding World Religions, which is a center whose aim is to provide clarity and understanding of non-SDA religions. It is my hope that people can gain more clarity from this lecture on Christianity.

The lecture can be seen here.